.

This he managed to accomplish without much difficulty, wondering while
so doing whether he and Jack might not be making history, for he
suspected that never before in the annals of aviation had an amphibian
plane been afforded a chance to take a prize of war in such an original
fashion as bombarding the enemy crew with tear-gas bombs and causing
them to flee in mad haste.

It was an exultant Perk who stood erect on the deck and waved his flying
helmet with the proud air of a neophyte hunter planting his foot on the
body of his first slain lion or tiger.

CHAPTER VII

A WHITE ELEPHANT ON THEIR HANDS

"Come on in, Jack old hoss, the water's fine!" was the way Perk greeted
his chum after gaining the deck of the captured rum-runner.

"First make that rope fast somehow so we'll run no risk of losing our
floating crate," Jack advised him.

"Yeah, that's just what I'm goin' to do, buddy," continued the other, as
he proceeded to make fast to the sloop's wheel after which Jack managed
to clamber aboard.

There were lanterns scattered around, and in the haste with which the
afflicted crew had abandoned their ship no one had bothered about
extinguishing them. By means of the meagre illumination afforded by
them, the two airmen were able to take a fairly comprehensive survey of
their surroundings.

"Huh! I kinder guessed we'd find a bunch o' the scrappin' critters
stretched out, an' lookin' all bloody like," ventured Perk, with
possibly a shadow of regret in his voice and manner, "but shucks! never
a one do I set my lamps on. Here's a case or two o' wet goods been
busted open, seems like, in all that kickup an' mebbe now some o' the
wild boys got a taste that helped keep 'em in the roarin', tearin' fight
they had but looks as if every man must a' been mighty keen on jumpin'
his bail. Wow! I can't blame 'em any, if the way my eyes feel is a fair
sample o' what they got served out to 'em!"

"You said it, partner," echoed Jack, "but keep from rubbing it in, if
you know what's good for you. The gas is being carried away right along
by the breeze, so let's forget it and take a look around."

"Let's," echoed Perk, always more or less curious and eager to "peek"
when the chance offered.

It seemed as though they were alone on the anchored sloop that was
rising and falling on the long rollers coming in off the wide gulf.
Piles of cases lay on the deck around them, ready to be transferred to
such smaller craft as